Third times the charm
by blackkyu
Summary: If Goku was a cruel man, he would have laughed at Mr. Ned as he shook in his boots, his eyes refusing to focus on the fragile child in front of him, as if doing so would spell his death.
1. Chapter 1

Third times the charm…like hell it is!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Takes place after Galerians: Ash, but you don't need to know much about the series.

Warning: this is slightly AU for both story lines.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Chapter One: The Other Child

He really had no idea where he expected to find himself once he woke. But Goku was certain that even his imagination couldn't cook this up. Bleak grey walls, a window overlooking a shimmering city of white, and a bed with one wire connected directly to his neck, or, more precisely, in his neck. Yeah, Goku was quite positive that if his mind did cook something up it would be food. Thus, as there wasn't the slightest sign of life in the dreary place, he was left with one possible answer—the swirling vertex of colors that he just happened to be thrown through, was actually a portal to another universe.

This wouldn't be the first time.

Alas, unlike all other times Goku woke in some unknown land, there was nothing familiar about this place. The technology was definitely different, less bubbly, the hospital (for that's where he assumed he was) had little to no sounds, and the city (what he could see of it from his bed anyway) was far to pristine, far to white, as if it had never seen a day of battle in its life, or as if it was hoping that its glowing walls and streets would chase away the shadows.

Nonetheless, there had to be a way back, he would never forgive himself if he missed Gohan's birthday.

And the first step to finding his way back was finding out how he got here in the first place. With a swing of his feet, Goku tested his ability to walk, along with checking out the length of the wire.

Connected to a strange cylindrical device that beeped every so often, the wire, he assumed, was there to keep an eye on his health. Who knew that all those days in the hospital would have come in handy?

Apparently, however, Goku wasn't in as good shape as he had originally thought. For he was awoken from his mussing's by a light cough, and, fighting back the urge to whip around (for he felt no threat), Goku slowly turned to greet the intruder with a small, sheepish smile; ready to apologize for having both ignored their presence, as well as having gotten out of bed (Chichi's wrath had a withstanding effect on him it seemed).

But the child before him (yes, child, around his sons age, perhaps a little older, or maybe a little younger, it was hard to tell, with those glowing eyes peering into his soul), waved off the look and simply indicated for Goku to take a seat, amusement, confusion, and anger swirling in the child's dark aqua eyes as he watched.

"I'm sure you're confused." The child started, still standing.

"Very much," Goku agreed with a grin, "but have a seat would ya? You're making me nervous."

Confusion won as the child raised a golden eyebrow indicating that he didn't believe the claim, but he took a chair from a nearby desk anyway, and sat before Goku, his back noticeably ram-rode straight. "So," Goku took the lead, "where am I?"

"Michelangelo Memorial Hospital. "

Was it just him, or did the kid sound as if he wanted tear the name to shreds?

"And why am I here?"

"I found you."

"…and you carried me?" Goku didn't mean to sound so disbelieving, but the child's build was that of a runner and his arms looked like they would break from so much as lifting a chair, and after all the fights he'd been in, Goku was certain that this assumption was absolutely correct.

Apparently the child thought so too, for his replied with a small smile that pulled on Goku's heart strings. "I teleported you."

Although the fact that the child could teleport several people at once should have been a warning towards something more, Goku ignored the nagging need to ask more questions in favor of introducing himself. It wasn't like he was going to suddenly be pulled back home in a matter of seconds anyway.

"The names Goku." He once again grinned, although the startled look on the child's face lessened it somewhat, "and you are?"

"Rion!"

The boy didn't say that, but a panicking doctor who looked back and forth between the two of them as if the poor man (Mr. Ned, the nametag declared) had just seen the end of the world, did.

The child, Rion, calmly stood, his face suddenly turned to stone. "Yes?"

"My apologies, but Pat asks for you and our visitor to see him immediately."

If Goku was a cruel man, he would have laughed at Mr. Ned as he shook in his boots, his eyes refusing to focus on the fragile child in front of him, as if doing so would spell his death. As it was, Goku simply stared in concerned confusion as the child's eyes appeared to spark at the mentioning of this 'Pat'. With a wave of his hand, Rion dismissed the poor man before quickly rounding on Goku and ripping the wire from his neck. Surprisingly it didn't hurt.

"You won't need that anymore." The child all but whispered in answer to Goku's silent question.

With a shrug Goku cracked his back and he asked for some actual clothes. A small smile appeared on the child's face as he asked for Goku's hand and teleported them to…some strange place in the city.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: White

Having already spent several hours finding clothes (thankfully not in a mall, but in a secluded section of some random building) and learning about each other (mainly Goku talking on and on about Chichi and Gohan, and all wildlife—which he found completely lacking in this universe), Goku and Rion made it to Pat's office. Outside the door they stood side by side, neither one willing to open the door, but for different reasons.

"So…" Goku began, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck where he felt the stares of the hospitals staff, "who is Pat?"

The collective gasp was ignored. "Pat is the head scientist of this…company…" it appeared to take allot out of the child to say that, frustration flashing through his eyes, "Lilia." The boy's voice almost chocked on the name, causing Goku to glance over, his sheepish smile turning into a concerned frown.

"Lilia?"

"The name of the company."

The boy then shut his mouth with a click and glared at the door, leaving Goku to sigh at the loss. But, Goku, never one to stay down long, shrugged, straightened his shoulders, and grasped the handle of the door. Turning the infernal piece of metal, he marched right in, giving himself a sense of Déjà vu (hadn't he marched into Piccolo's room and defended his son against his—sometimes—ridiculous complaints?), and leaving behind the whispers (which he could hear, but couldn't understand, Family Program? Galerian?Short-Circuit?) and stares.

Before them stood a man in his late twenties, early thirties, shoulder length brown hair gracefully falling into sharp eyes as he looked the pair over. Finally, after what seemed like the total length of a Chichi lecture (Goku had told Rion about those too, although the look of sad amusement confused the man greatly), the piercing gaze rested on dark aqua. "I hope you are adjusting well."

"No thanks to you." The child scoffed, love, anger, betrayal, and sadness giving the boys eyes an almost damning effect.

"Eh," Goku interjected, his fatherly instincts kicking in (his son's eyes, oh gods, if his son were to have eyes like that…). "Could someone please tell me what I'm doing here?"

The man, who Goku assumed was Pat, nodded and gestured for them to take a seat.

"Unfortunately, it seems one of our prototype transporters has had a slight…"

"Big."

"Malfunction." The man finished while glaring disapprovingly at Rion.

"Prototype transporter?" Goku asked curiously.

The lecture Goku soon received, however, made him damn his curiosity. This Pat's lectures were far worse than anything Chichi could cook up!

Alright, so, from what Goku could gather, he was in an alternate universe that was just starting to create transporters to space stations, thus allowing easier access to supplies and all the benefits therein. However, one of them obviously broke.

Eventually Goku was able to blurt out the sole question that was driving him bonkers, "why's the city so white?"

Rion sighed, "It's because the whole place was in shambles after Dorothy and her children wreaked havoc."

"Dorothy?"

"Basically a supper smart computer that acquired a god complex and tried to take over the world, not very original if you ask me."

"I would have to agree."

"We choose white," Pat coughed, "because it is the color of absence, thus of beginnings."

"Or of hospitals, death, labs, and insane asylums," Rion scuffed.

With the tension between the two, Goku wasn't sure if he should laugh or leap out the window.

"I'll call you both back tomorrow for an assignment."

Oh goody, Goku thought while looking at the pleased child beside him, I'm going to be late, and I haven't even got Gohan a present yet…and Chichi's going to kill me.


End file.
